The Story of Joey's Old Man
by Melony Mutou2
Summary: With another chance layed strewn in front of him, Joey's father takes it and starts a new life, without telling his son. Just as his life has started over, the man's health takes a turn for the worse... 'Tell him I love him.' ONESHOT


Again. He sat alone again, drinking his vodka.

Where was his son? He didn't know. At school, maybe? No, too late for school. Out with his girlfriend? ... Actually, now that he thought about it, the boy had been gone for days... no months... years?

Ah, what did he care. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore. Because no one cared, and so neither did he.

He sighed and dropped the last bottle of vodka he had, listening to it crash on the floor. He pulled his booted feet off of the table and got up, wobbly, and then started for the doorway. There, he grabbed onto the wall to keep himself up, and then went for the front door, grabbing his keys on the way out.

The man climbed down a flight of stairs, and then onto the street where he started looking for his car. Once he realized he couldn't find it, he said, "Shit... the boy must've taken it... or they towed it... now I have to walk all the way to the bar! This is shit." he placed the keys in his pocket and then started down the street, staggering, unhappy.

After a while he finally made his way into a bar and took his place at a stool, holding out his hand for the bartender. When the man came over he set his order and then sat patiently, staring at the table. A waitress came over and handed him his drink and a drunk grin covered his face.

"Heya there, gorgeous," he spoke, "how about a night with me huh? Just you and me, it'll be like a symphony."

"Yeah right. In your dreams, home-wrecker," the waitress rolled her eyes and walked off. The man sighed a little and turned back. He was used to getting rejected by now, of course. And every waitress at this bar knew about his wife walking out on him, taking his youngest child, his only daughter, with her, thanks to the incident at the Christmas party. He almost had a right mind to just quit while he was ahead. But he wanted something. He didn't feel fulfilled anymore.

The man finished up his drink and called for another. While he was sitting and waiting, he noticed another, yet beautiful waitress. This one, however, he had never seen before. As she passed him, he turned and grinned. "Hey there, pretty. Haven't seen you working around here. Did you just get a job here?" Of course, it came out more like, "hey the'e, purdy. 'Aven't seen 'ou workin' round 'ere. Didju jus get a job he'e?" The woman turned to him, and blinked, blushing.

"Y-yes, I did." was all she said, and then turned and walked off. The man blinked, watching her, trying to figure out what she meant by what she said, and why the heck she had been so nervous. Maybe it was her first job working at a bar in general.

However, instead of investigating further, he just turned and continued sipping his drink. When he heard a scream, however, he tore his attention from his drink to the source, only to find the woman being seduced by an obviously drunk man in a booth with his friends. The man, furious at this conduct, because it really shouldn't be shown in any bar, and in this bar it hadn't been done since the last new waitress, but someone else had stepped in, and seeing as how no one was stepping in, stepped in and took the drunk up by his collar, slamming him a good one.

"Thas' not how you treat a lady!" He exclaimed. The woman retreated and sat in a corner, watching. The man who'd just gotten a punch growled at the other and went down and attacked him. The two were soon in a wrestle, and the barkeep had to break them up.

When things had finally settled down and the man was sitting down, going back to his drink and gingerly touching his eye, the waitress came over and gave him an ice pack, shyly. He gratefully took it and thanked her, then went back to his own business. However, the woman, still wanting to be helpful, attempted to clean some more wounds. He blinked, looking at her and blushed. Or maybe that was just the flushing from the drinks. He didn't know... all he know is that, he suddenly felt a very strong attraction to her.

A week later, the man had himself dressed up and was actually sober for once since his wife left. He checked his watch and then looked around his house. He looked in his son's room only to find it deserted. But it was the one room in the house that wasn't a mess and didn't smell. Odd...

The man went and walked outside, grabbing his keys, and in fact had finally been able to find his car. Before, he had been too drunk to notice it had been parked in the alley. Why it was parked there he didn't know, but it was and now he could drive it.

He picked up a date. The waitress from earlier. Apparently they had been dating this past week. They were going out for the fourth time that week, and to him it felt great. He felt like a new person. Maybe he could start a new life and... no, too early to think about that now.

The two were sitting in a restaurant, waiting for the food they had ordered. "Maria..." the man looked up at his girlfriend's face. She blinked back and gave a small smile.

"Yes?" she asked.

"...Did I ever tell you I had a son?" the man asked. The waitress, Maria, blinked.

"No... can't say you have." she blinked. "Does he... live with you?"

"No... no no... he's some age past sixteen now... he doesn't live with me anymore. Went to his girlfriend... I think her name was Melony or something... well, anyway... I just wanted to tell you... what a great boy he is. He would take care of me after his mother left, taking his baby sister. Even though he was hurt just as much as I was, he would get job after job and support me as I'd go out and get wasted... he was... such a good boy..." the man looked down, feeling ashamed. She smiled.

"I'm sure he thinks highly of you... ... what is his name?"

"Joey. His name is Joey. And my daughter, his younger sister, is Serenity..."

"Maria, my beloved. How are you doing...?" the man stood at the end of a bed, Maria was in it. She looked down at the man and gave a small smile, bringing a hand to rest on her bulging stomach.

"I'm doing fine, honey..." she whispered. "It's almost time... our baby boy will be born soon..." the man nodded as a large grin grew on his lips, much like his son's... or would it be the other way around?

"Good..."

"Have you thought of a name?"

"I thought we... I thought we could name him after..."

"...Joey?"

The man nodded...

The man sat in a bed... his eyes closed... a steady beeping was next to him, _beep... beep..._ the machine tallied his heart beats. _So it's come to this?_ The man thought. _I'm going to die... all because of my horrible habit... Joey... my son... where... are you?_

Maria stepped into the room, a bundle of blankets in her arms. "Honey..." she muttered. He looked in her direction.

"Ah... Joey...?" she nodded and walked to him, holding out the little boy. The man gratefully took the bundle and held it, moving away to see the baby's face.

His blue eyes looked up at the man, his father, tiredly. The baby blinked, a lock of his hair in his eyes. He frustratedly moved his arms around in attempt to control them and move the annoying blonde lock that dared confuse him so greatly. The man chuckled softly and took a hand, moving it for the baby. Seeing this, the young human looked up at the man's face. He brought his tiny hand up and grabbed the finger that had moved the hair, and stared at it, fascinated.

"...I am so sorry... I will never get to see... you grow up... ... but I deserve it. For not paying attention when my _other_ son grew up..." he gave a small sigh, but smiled at the boy in his arms. "Joey... I hope you will grow to respect your older brother... he is a very good man. I'm sure he would take care of you..." the man planted a kiss on the baby's forehead. The boy looked up at his father and gave a smile, giggling.

The man clutched his son tightly, giving him a small hug... "...Good-bye, my son... tell your brother... that I love him..." the man slowly let his head fall back, and his eyes close, and the beeping machine next to his bed went to a long, steady bleep.

"_Tell him that I love him."_


End file.
